In Orbit
by soymaid
Summary: Peter can't keep away -- more and more, he is leaving Neverland to check up on his Lost Boys, and on Wendy. Finally, he seeks out a friend for what turns out to be some relationship counseling. Complete!
1. First Contact

Slightly stirred at the taping on the windowpane. Groggily (for it was very early, when almost everyone in London is asleep and everyone ought to be) he lifted his head, and rubbed an eye with the heel of his palm. There was a form at the window.

At once, Slightly's heart leapt. He knew he should be careful, for all sorts of robbers and thieves lurk in cities and should under no circumstances be let indoors in a roomful of sleeping children, but he was simply too eager to find out whether, this time, this was no dream. He sat up, shaking his head to clear it – he was most definitely awake. Quickly and quietly, he scurried to the window, cracked it open, and squeezed out onto the balcony of the boys' room.

"Peter, it _is_ you!" Slightly squealed before Peter's hand clapped across his mouth. Slightly paused a moment, taken aback, then blinked and calmly removed Peter's hand with his own.

"Peter!" his voice was lower, but still trembled with excitement. "My gosh, it's good to see you! What are you doing here!" Peter gave Slightly his invitation-to-adventures-unknown smile, and Slightly's mouth automatically responded with a grin of its own.

"Actually," Peter began nonchalantly, "I wanted to see how you all have been. I worry about my boys." His lopsided smile was still in place, but Peter met his eyes and there was a little more than just cheerful concern in his look. He seemed a little more… haunted.

"We've been fine, Peter," Slightly assured him, wary of saying something that might upset the boy. "Growing up is… it's a good show. I think you ought to try it, maybe." Slightly pushed his lips tightly together, not sure if he'd said the right thing.

"Yeah." Peter's smile twisted and his eyes began to shine. "I've seen you. Through the window. Are you all… very happy?"

Slightly paused. "We all wish to see you again. Have you been watching us for long, Peter? We'd all just love it if you came in."

Peter turned away. "I can't, Slightly. You know I can't."

Slightly shook his head – Peter was sometimes too much for anyone but Wendy to fathom, ever since she'd first arrived. "Will you at least come back and we can talk to you on the balcony, then?" Peter nodded.

"Promise, Slight."

"We might not all be able to fit." Slightly blurted out. "I mean… it's a small balcony. Plus, snow – we'd probably all freeze. Not allowed to wear bearskins 'round here, obviously."

Peter met his eyes, looking somewhat cheered, and nodded solemnly. "I'll protect you." Slightly smiled back, satisfied with this outcome.

And Peter was gone.

Slightly crept back into bed. After lying restless for a few minutes, he crawled beneath the bed over to the wall, and scratched one notch into the decorating-paper – for visit number one. Maneuvering himself back up atop the mattress, he sighed, and committed himself to sleep.

Disclaimer: Yarr, the only pirate here be Captain Hook!

A/N: This is an idea I got from Keira Knightly's story "Peter Pan's return" – I just had to give it a go myself. I always ned a little cheering up/ wish-fulfillment after the ending of the movie (the 2003 Jeremy Sumpter version, that is -- this story is based off of that production.)


	2. Realization

Tapping again. Smiling to himself, Slightly pulled the blankets aside. He hadn't dared expect Pan to show up again this quickly – it had only been a few nights!

"Do you want me to wake the others – and go get Wendy?" he asked Peter in lieu of greeting. Peter shook his head vigorously.

"Not the others, not just yet. How… how is everyone doing?"

"Quite similar to how they were on Monday, actually, sir," Slightly said pointedly. "If you don't mind my asking, how have you been?"

Peter shrugged. "I've been living with the Indians. Learning their ways. I've become absolutely marvelous with a tomahawk, in my opinion."

"No-one there to fight, though," Slightly observed.

"No, not right now," Pan admitted. "I think some of the younger braves are going to start a rebellion soon, though. Not sure which side I'll fall out on. Probably wherever Tiger Lily goes – she's saved my life a bunch of times." Slightly nodded. In his opinion, it wasn't nearly as grand as fighting pirates – for one thing, nobody was exactly evil.

"How is she?" Peter asked suddenly, desperation in his voice.

Slightly sighed, unwillingly relating news. "She is to be married soon."

"What? Married?" Peter was frantic. "She's far too young!"

"Not so far as you think, sir. Only a few years, and she'll find a husband."

Peter went white as a sheet. "No! Slightly, can't you put a stop to it?"

Slightly smiled wryly. "No, sir. I cannot."

"Slightly," Peter sounded quite upset -- he was never very good at hiding his emotions. "You could call me 'father' like you used to."

"Sir," Slightly said gently, "I have a real, grown-up father now."

Peter looked enraged for a moment, but then turned toward the moon, gliding up onto the railing. He turned back to Slightly.

"Very well, brave Slightly. I shall return soon, though not before you think." Slightly saluted, and off Pan flew.

Now Slightly was no fool – he was in fact rather shrewd, which is why Peter had chosen him as second over the bigger boys. He had heard the longing when Peter asked about Wendy and, less expected, when he crossly asked about being called "father" again. Peter sounded very lonely; the Lost Boys and the Indians had been allies, and Pan and Tiger Lily had liked each other well enough, but nobody was a friend to him like the Lost Boys, and Slightly had never seen Peter treat anyone the way he'd treated Wendy. Peter had Tink – come to think of it, where was she? Still sulking? – but he needed more. Slightly saw that Peter needed his friends again, and resolved to tell him so upon his next visit.


	3. Resolution

The chance soon came: after several more nights had passed, Slightly was once again called out of bed. Anticipating adding a third notch to the wall beneath the head of his bed, Slightly made a quick exit, resolved to declare his vow to Peter as soon as he spoke to him.

Slightly wriggled through the window and stood stiff like a soldier. "Peter, sir, I have something to tell you."

Peter frowned. "What is it, Slight?"

"Sir, I have resolved that, although it goes against your nature, you are acting like a coward. You refuse to seek out Wendy, your lady-love, out of fear. Until you stop acting this way, sir, I have resolved not to speak with you even to tell you what we've been doing around here. I will not call you father until then, either," he finished with a stern frown, staring determinedly off ahead of him into space.

Peter was staring at him, shocked.

"What gives you the right to challenge me?" Peter demanded.

"My right, sir, lies in the fact that I am correct." To this, Peter had no reply.

He paused for a moment. The situation did not, as hoped for, go away on its own. Slightly did not pull one of his trademark disconnected- topic changes. He was left with no choice but to answer.

"I can't. She's going to be married, Slightly! She belongs with her husband, growing with him, having children with him."

"But sir…" Slightly insinuated, "Remember what she gave to you."

Peter shouted and hit the wall. "I know, Slightly! She belongs in Neverland with us! With me!"

"Sir," Slightly ventured. "I'm not sure all of that is true, sir. Don't get me wrong – she definitely belongs with you, sir. But maybe not… the other part."

Peter's head snapped back up. "What do you mean? You means she doesn't belong in Never-Neverland? Why would you say that? I don't understand why you're doing this!" By the end he was nearly shouting, and his voice was strange and strangled. He was breathing heavily, almost panting.

"Do it now, sir." Slightly's face was grave, intent, pleading and commanding. "You must."

Their eyes met for an instant.

Peter sprang off the balcony, but flew along the outside towards Wendy's room. Slightly threw open the window and went charging through the boys' room, shouting.

"Pan's back! Pan's back! To Wendy's room, boys!"

Then everyone was awake and scrambling, and they were all rushing over the Wendy's room, where a tapping on the window was heard and where the latch was being hastily fumbled with in response.

When the boys reached the room, Peter and Wendy were staring at each other, entranced – Wendy's feet on carpeted floor, Peter still out on the balcony, hovering slightly above the platform.

"You'd be a father someday." Wendy spoke, with bated breath.

He nodded gravely. "I know."

"You'd grow up. You'd grow old."

He bowed his head again in acknowledgement. "I understand."

"Is this all for me?" Peter hesitated a moment before responding.

"No."

She nodded approvingly. "Good." She held out her hand. "Come in, boy."

He stepped across the threshold into her arms, and suddenly he felt what love was, and it was strange and terrible and wonderful and new yet not at all different than before – and then he realized that perhaps it had been love, all along, love of everything that he had mistaken for love of nothing, loveof stories that Wendy has known as lovefor her.

"Wendy," he breathed, more confused than he had ever been, "I'm scared."

She beamed at him, and kissed him, and held him, and when she drew back and met his eyes with her leaking ones he knew exactly what she was going to say.

"Oh, Peter," she spoke, beaming the widest smile he'd ever seen right across them and straight onto his mouth. "Me, too."

A/N: Wow, I can't believe I concluded a story! That never happens!


End file.
